


The San Andreas Incident

by Homo_Vulcanensis



Series: The Green and the Yellow [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, And not be sorry, Earthquakes, Hurt!Spock, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-TMP, Watch me use all my h/cs at once, trans!Kirk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27456484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Homo_Vulcanensis/pseuds/Homo_Vulcanensis
Summary: After what was most certainly not a date, Kirk is sleeping like a stone. One earthquake and a trip through the city later, he and Spock have to face a truth neither of them dared to express. Includes Chekov baking cookies.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock
Series: The Green and the Yellow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072271
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Spirk fic, and you cannot possibly know how nervous I am to finally post it. So, I hope you enjoy, dear reader, and wish to mentally lead you to one fateful evening in the winter of 2273.

Kirk studied the contents of his closet and sighed. Spock had invited him to dinner, not to a wedding. There was no need to dress up, but Kirk nonetheless felt slightly inadequate, considering that he hadn’t really invested into civilian clothing for more than a decade, and wearing his white Admiral uniform was not an option. Glancing at the chronometer on his nightstand, he realized that he needed to choose now, or he would be late. Out of a lack of other viable options, Kirk slipped into his favorite plaid shirt, the one that was blue and white, and his least-ripped pair of jeans, that happened to be dark-grey.

Attired like that, he left the bedroom of his small San Francisco apartment, feeling slightly nervous. His bedroom was positioned at a short hallway, with the bathroom vis-à-vis of the bedroom and another small room at the right end of the hallway. At the left end of the hallway, but not detached from it by a door or anything alike, there was the biggest room. It was a combination between a kitchen and a living room, with a counter separating the two parts. Kirk had been offered to choose whatever furniture he liked, but the apartment still looked like the time he had been given it by Starfleet. Kirk walked over to the bathroom to put on some make-up. Tapping the blue color onto his eyelids was quite meditative, and he began to think about the near past.

In the last three years, he had never really felt like home anywhere. First, he had thought that it was space that he was missing, but after one sad night out at a bar, he came to the resolution that he just was incredibly lonely. And why shouldn’t he? He had been in space for too long to have any friends in the city, and his crew had dispersed around the galaxy. He wrote letters to Bones and sometimes called Scotty, but it was not the same. However, the one he missed most, was Spock. Who to play chess with and engage in scientific discussions but his favorite Vulcan? He had known that Spock was functionally dead, and it hurt him deeply. However strongly Spock had tried to deny it, Kirk knew it had something to do with him that his friend wanted to purge all emotions from him. He spent nights overthinking all their interactions, trying to find the moment where he went wrong.

But then Kirk got his ship back, however briefly, and his crew returned for another adventure. And, most prominently, Spock was back. Kirk had been mad at first. How could he plan to eradicate everything that connected them, and then not even having the decency to go through with it? Later, Spock laughed and mumbled something about a ‘simple feeling’, and Kirk learned something important about himself. Namely, that he was unerringly in love with the Vulcan. How he could not have known it earlier, he wondered in vain. He eventually figured that the feelings had always been there, he had just not acknowledged them. He suddenly felt at home again, but questioned whether he should tell Spock about it, fearing that this might drive his friends away again.

Kirk put himself together mentally and stopped revisiting the past few weeks. He put his make-up away and left the bathroom behind, only to turn towards the apartment door. On his way out, he grabbed the wine from the counter that he had promised to bring to their dinner. Taking a deep breath, he left the apartment.

As soon as Spock had decided to teach at the Academy, he had been offered accommodations by Starfleet, as was standard procedure. Starfleet owned several buildings and singular apartments around the city, and Spock had happened to choose the one that was a mere two levels beneath Kirk’s own flat. Kirk was positive that he had done it on purpose, and felt rather flattered by it.

Kirk walked down the two flights of stairs, and finally stood in front of Spock’s door. He urged himself to ring, wondering why he suddenly felt like a love-sick teenager. Spock opened almost immediately. “Jim.”, he said, looking at him rather joyfully. “Please come in.”, he added smoothly and stepped aside so Kirk could enter. Spock’s choice of clothing matched his apartment, Kirk noted. He wore a rather tight-fitting black suit that was obviously Vulcan in origin, judging from the high collar and the wide sleeves, as well as the intricate floral details, hand-stitched in silver tread. The furniture that completed the view was held in dark colors and elegantly swung, although obviously from human design. Earlier that day, some non-intrusive incense had been burned. Everything represented Spock’s two sides and combined them.

Suddenly, Kirk realized that Spock was, slightly amused, watching him. “I’m still fascinated by your apartment.”, Kirk explained. “Maybe you can help me redecorate mine?”, he added. Spock raised an eyebrow. “Indeed, I should.”, Spock replied, while reading the label on the wine Kirk had brought. “I hope this white one will go with whatever you have prepared.”, Kirk said sheepishly. “I believe it will.”, Spock replied, smiling slightly. They looked at each other for a silent moment.

Behind them, an alarm sounded. Spock turned to the oven. “Please sit.”, he told Kirk and gestured towards his precisely set table. In anticipation, Kirk sat down, only to be followed by Spock carrying a backing dish using two mittens. He set it down in the middle of the table.

“Before we begin, I need to inform you that my time today is limited, as there will be a night exercise at the academy tonight.”, Spock informed him. Kirk snickered. “Those poor cadets.”, he said, remembering his own academy time. “I will try to prepare them the best I can.”, Spock replied, Vulcanly stoic, but in a decidedly ironic way. “I’m sure you will.”, Kirk agreed, equally amused.

“What do you have there?”, Kirk asked, inspecting the dish. “It is called ‘Ratatouille’.”, Spock said, slightly struggling with the French word. “It smells wonderful.”, Kirk remarked while Spock scooped a portion on his guest’s plate, then taking some of his own. “I have the recipe from an antique Terran film.”, Spock explained. “Really?”, Kirk laughed and tried some of the vegetable stew. It tasted as good as it smelled. “This is really good. Thanks for having me, by the way.”, Kirk complimented the meal. Spock merely smiled, and Kirk felt himself melt on the inside.

The rest of the meal was spent with Spock talking about the new cadets and how he was adapting to teaching them, and Kirk spoke about his work, but only of the funny parts. “You know, sometimes I feel like these Admirals have never been to space, but have very explicit views on it”, Kirk ended the anecdote he had just told. “Indeed.”, Spock replied. “I have a cadet that is much like this.”, he added after a bite. “Yes?”, Kirk wondered. “Just yesterday, he felt the need to correct me on first contact procedure. It was most tiresome. He also does not display a real interest in science, it seems.”, Spock explained. Kirk looked slightly irritated. “Why join Starfleet, then?”, he asked. “As it appears, Cadet Lawrence is Captain Lawrence’s son. I believe he felt obligated to follow his father’s path.” “A feeling that is strangely common nowadays, or so I find.”, Kirk added. “A feeling that you shared?”, Spock asked. Kirk laughed. “Hell, no. My father was in Starfleet, yes, but he didn’t hold it in high esteem at all. Actually, both my parents were pretty unhappy about my decision.” “An experience we share, then.”, Spock concluded.

For the rest of the meal, Kirk laughed more than necessary, not entirely due to the wine, and Spock looked the most relaxed he had ever been. After they had finished, they moved to Spock’s couch, which happened to have armrests that could actually be used to lean on, so differently to Kirk’s, that sometimes felt like it was made out of marble.

“I believe you are scheduled for some leave?”, Spock asked. “Yes. One week beginning tomorrow.”, Kirk replied, unconsciously moving closer to his friend. “Do you have plans?”, Spock inquired, leaning against the backrest and towards Kirk. “Not really, no. I considered going camping in Yosemite, but with the wetter this week, it’s probably going to be too cold.” Both turned their heads towards the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the snowflakes travel past them. Spock moved closer ever so slightly. “I would believe so too.”, Spock agreed. Kirk stretched, inadvertently moving closer to Spock.

Kirk’s eyes traveled the room, and finally landed on a strange object on a shelf. “What is this?”, Kirk wondered. Spock turned away from Kirk for just a moment to look. “This is my sewing machine.”, he explained, one hand wandering from the backrest and onto Kirk’s shoulder. “I use it to make my clothing.”, Spock added, slightly pulling at the cloth of Kirk’s shirt. Kirk was shocked to a non-neglectable degree, until he realized that both his hands were positioned on Spock’s hips. He didn’t remember putting them there, but Spock didn’t seem to mind, as it appeared. “I do some knitting from time to time, you know.”, Kirk murmured.

As if caught in a trance, they moved continually closer to each other. For a moment, Kirk thought they were going to kiss, but Spock bowed his head and opted to lean against Kirk, his eyes closed and their foreheads touching lightly. Although he liked it very much, Kirk was slightly concerned, as this wasn’t like Spock at all. Spock’s other hand moved to his neck and then to his face, his fingers burning hot against Kirk’s skin. By that time, Kirk had forgotten his worries and had closed his eyes too. There was an unasked questioned between them, yet it appeared very clearly in Kirk’s mind. “May I?”

As a way of answering, Kirk tried his best to open his mind, welcoming the other entity inside. They moved together like two oceans, one emerald green, the other a bright yellow, and quickly became one single turquoise being. United, the being was finally at peace, resting and drifting in its state, occasionally forming itself into intricate shapes. Sometimes, it was on one site of its realm, then more on the other. Then, sparked by something inexplicable, it twisted itself until there was a turquoise rope going from one end to the other. When the being had aligned itself thusly, a sound from outside suddenly disturbed its long-awaited peace. The turquoise being fell into its two components again, but a rest of the rope remained, albeit much thinner and more fragile now, only a thread.

Kirk blinked, suddenly painfully aware of being in his own body. He looked to Spock, who was in front of him, both of them sitting sideways on the couch. Spock stared at his own hand in incomprehension. “I cannot explain that which has just happened.”, he said, clear confusion hushing over his face. Kirk didn’t have an answer either, but instead searched for the origin of the incessant sound that had disturbed them. He stood and walked over to the kitchen area, where he found Spock’s PADD. It was apparently executing a preprogrammed alarm, but he couldn’t read what it said, as it was all written in Vulcan. Spock had followed him from the couch and was now standing next to him. “Are you unharmed?”, he wanted to know, still looking rather dazed. Kirk nodded. “I’m fine, don’t you worry.” He decided not to tell Spock that he had deeply enjoyed what had just happened between them. Both looked at each other for a few moments longer.

“Have you set an alarm?”, Kirk finally asked. Spock turned his attention to the PADD as if he had only just realized that it was there. He swiped the alarm off. “I feared that I might forget to leave in time. My time-sense is still tuned to Vulcan hours, as it appears.”, Spock explained. Kirk nodded. “You will need to change first, I believe. I won’t bother you any longer, then.”, he replied lamely. As he turned to go, Spock spoke up. “Thank you, Jim, for coming.”, he said. Kirk smiled. “Well, Mister Spock, the pleasure was on my side. You are a really talented cook, by the way.” Spock blushed ever so slightly. “Good night, Jim.”, he murmured. “Good night, Spock.”, Kirk replied, gave a last smile, and finally moved out of the door.

Back at his own apartment, Kirk let himself drop onto the couch. What had just happened? Had they melded out of impulse? Our maybe he had fallen asleep and it had all been a dream? Probably, the latter, Kirk decided. After all, he had melded with Spock before, but it had been different at those times. Spock had remained Spock, and Jim had remained Jim, and it also needed a lot more effort on Spock’s part. He decided that he should just go to bed already. A heavy tiredness had wrapped itself around him anyways.

As he brushed his teeth however, it occurred to him that there was something new to himself, a part of his being that hadn’t been there before. Kirk laughed at himself. It was ridiculous, really, especially since he couldn’t determine what piece that would be. He figured that he felt better now because he wasn’t alone anymore, and that was why he felt so whole.

When Kirk lied in bed, he curled up on himself, smiling giddily. He thought of Spock and how wonderful he was, and a warm feeling engulfed him, slowly guiding him towards sleep. He hadn’t been so calm in an eternity and his beddings seemed softer than usual.

Spock sat in front of several computer consoles and watched the numbers on them. The exercise was to be held outside, but somebody needed to be in charge of the organization. Spock was happily filling this position, as the snowy field on the Academy grounds wasn’t particularly tempting to him and he felt rather tired. There was something he didn’t enjoy about this situation however, namely that he had to look after Cadet Lawrence as well. The young man had managed to break his foot, and was therefore excepted from the exercise. Right now, he was sitting in front of a window and stared outside.

The control room for outside exercises was in some kind of pavilion that had been built shortly after the founding of Starfleet. Although it was connected to the rest of the buildings, it was older than anything else around the campus, and could be easily told apart by the garish colors it was held in. But neither building nor work could hold Spock’s interest, as he was recalling the dinner with Jim. How could he let himself go so far and meld with his friend, without cause or consent? Even if Kirk had told him that it was alright, Spock still felt bad for this horrendous overstep. He should visit Jim tomorrow and apologize, he decided, forcibly pushing this subject into the background.

But then, his thought caught on the image of James Kirk, and Spock felt his heart flutter in his side. Why was it that this man caused him such strong emotions? It was a question he had pondered for so long on the plains of Gol, as it had been the question that had led him there in the first place, until one day, the answer shone clear in front of him. ‘Because I love him.’, he had realized, and it had sent him in an even deeper turmoil. ‘Was this feeling returned?’, he wondered a million times. In the end, Spock had decided to return to Kirk, as his friend’s suffering caused him even greater pain than his own confusion and pining. If he could just spend time with Kirk, have him in homeopathic doses, maybe the fire would subside. And if it didn’t, it would not matter either. After all, he had a little less than a year to live, thanks to his treacherous biology, and he doubted that he could resolve his Time with anybody else than Jim.

And indeed, after this night, he felt complete, a warm knowing that things were like they were supposed to be. He was comfortable with himself, for once, not Human, not Vulcan, but something unique in between. He analyzed the next batch of numbers, inwardly purring.

“Do you have a wife?”, Lawrence asked from his place at the window, obviously trying to start a conversation. Spock hadn’t exaggerated when he had told Kirk about this cadet. “I am not married and in need of concentration.”, Spock cut him short. “Not married? But I thought all adult Vulcans were?”, Lawrence reiterated. “This is grossly exaggerated.”, Spock returned. He really didn’t have a nerve to discuss this now, or ever for a fact. “Also, in Vulcan society, I am not considered an adult.”, he added, immediately slapping himself mentally. “You’re a kid?”, Lawrence laughed. “But come on, you must have a girlfriend at least?”, he insisted. “I am not interested in women. Please cease this questioning.”, Spock urged the cadet to shut up. He did indeed, but when Spock looked up from his numbers, he saw that the young man was staring at him, wide-eyed. Spock wondered what might have shocked him so much, raised an eyebrow, and went back to work.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and PADDs fell to the floor in a clatter. The screens flickered and then all the lights fell out and one of the window panes collapsed. Spock stood up quickly, only to be smashed against the desk. His brain supplied knowledge he had incorporated in childhood, living in an area of high seismic activity. “Earthquake!”, he shouted over the noise the building made. Seeing that the cadet couldn’t really walk, he picked him up and ran to the nearest corner. They huddled against each other as they saw the wall on the other side of the room toppling over, and the ceiling following suit quickly. Splitters of steel, wood and concrete flew in their direction, and Spock threw himself over the cadet. The building stopped to move towards them, and they were caught in a cavity between the debris. There was a sharp pain in Spock’s side, and he felt himself pass out.

Somebody shook him awake. Confused, Kirk opened his eyes, only to find that there was absolutely nobody, and that it was his bed that was shaking. And his wardrobe and mirror. He finally realized that he even heard the plates clatter in the kitchen. This was an earthquake! Suddenly pumping with adrenaline, Kirk jumped out of his bed. Wasn’t there anything he should do? Go to the corners of the room, he remembered from somewhere. He swiftly moved into one, and braced himself. He was a Starfleet officer, after all. The quake only lasted for a few more seconds, and then stopped, but the building still swung slightly for another few moments.

Finally, Kirk allowed himself to move. He stood and surveyed the room, but nothing seemed to be out of order, and he went to look at the rest of the apartment, but it was all in a similar state. Only a few pictures had fallen to the ground and the books from the cupboard. He sat on the couch. What should he do next? Starfleet would surely do something, if only to aid in relief efforts, and he would surely be called there too. He wondered if this event had taken any victims, and if the city was in disarray. He was living in a very modern and earthquake-secured building, but many weren’t as well constructed, especially those in the old parts.

From the corners of his mind, something wandered into the forefront. He suddenly had the impression that something stabbed him in the side, and he rubbed the spot, before stopping himself. He lifted his nightshirt, and as he had anticipated, he wasn’t hurt. It was just imagination, probably from being stressed and woken in the middle of the night, he figured.

When nobody called him within five minutes, Kirk felt that he couldn’t wait any longer. He would go outside and help, he decided sternly. He returned to his bedroom to change into something warmer, but had to realize that there was a power outage and he couldn’t turn on the lights. He patted through the darkness of his wardrobe until he found his warm clothes.

Dressed in his favorite red coat, Kirk tried to force his apartment door open. With the power outage, even those were useless. Not wanting to give up, Kirk remembered that there was a mechanical override somewhere next to the door. But he would need more light. He moved back to the bedroom, where he kept his camping equipment. Fishing through the dark, he finally got hold of one of his chemical lights. He turned it on, and his bedroom was lit in its cold light.

With the light’s help, he managed to find the override, pulled the lever, and the door sprung open lightly, forming a crack big enough for Kirk’s hands. Now, he could simply pull the doors aside, walked through them, and then closed them after him.

The staircase was still dark, but Kirk had the light with him. He wasn’t living exactly near to the ground, so there were quite a few levels until he could leave the building. On almost every level there were people standing outside the apartments, speaking to each other in panicky voices. Kirk, automatically slipping into Captain-mode, made a point to tell everybody to stay calm, even though most people stared at him in confusion. When he was almost outside, the lights turned back on, powered by the emergency aggregate.

The street lay in darkness still. A few things had fallen over, but other than that, it looked almost normal. It was the sirens from downtown that told him otherwise. He decided to go in this direction, where he could probably of most help. The snow scrunched under his boots.

He walked like that for a few minutes until he reached a crossing where a tree had fallen and lay across the street. There had been some kind of event there, as several people were standing around, seemingly discussing what they should do. Kirk saw two children standing huddled together, apparently without supervision. Feeling compassionate, he walked towards them. “Can I help you?”, he asked the older girl. “Our parents are on the other side.”, the girl replied, her voice shaking. Kirk mustered the tree. It was certainly not insurmountable, he thought. “I can help you climb over there, if you want.”, he offered. Both children nodded thankfully. The next few minutes were spent with Kirk lifting the children on the tree’s trunk, climbing on there as well, jumping down on the other side, and putting the children down again.

“Where are your parents, now?”, Kirk asked. The two girls looked around. “Over there.”, the younger finally said and pointed to a couple empathetically talking to a police officer. “Thank you, Mister!”, the older shouted as they were already speeding away. “No problem.”, Kirk wanted to reply, but a wave of pain sent him tumbling to the ground. It was a very strange kind of pain, one that felt like it wasn’t actually his own, but rather borrowed from somewhere else.

Then, the pain subsided again, and Kirk managed to open his eyes. “Sir, can you hear me?”, the police officer asked from above him. Kirk put himself on his feet again and picked up his light. “I am fine, thanks.”, he replied, leaning against the trunk. Almost as suddenly as the pain had come, a new impression formed in his mind. He felt the strong urge to go into a specific direction, like he was pulled by something. He followed that urge, and it was a few moments until he realized that he was jogging. He stopped himself. What was going on? ‘Spock is in danger’, some part of his brain supplied, but he shut that down immediately. Why would he know such a thing? Since all directions were pretty much equal, he decided that he could just follow the urge and see where it brought him.

No longer jogging, but rather speed-walking, he moved through San Francisco. He passed some places where the quake had left its marks, but people more qualified and better equipped were already helping. Kirk decided that it had been quite the useless decision to go out, and that it had probably helped more if he stayed at home, but he nonetheless kept walking. An aftershock passed the city, only lasting a few seconds, and it sent Kirk in a frenzy. He suddenly feared to come too late, but his brain still wouldn’t tell him where he was going. It was only another minute until he recognized the buildings, and he figured that he was going in the direction of SF Command and the academy. He could hear sirens coming from the campus’ direction.

Spock felt himself coming around, and pain followed it. Remembering his Vulcan control, he forced the pain to subside, but he couldn’t help to panic slightly. He managed to move his hand, and realized that a steel splinter was stuck in his side, thankfully not on the one his heart was at. He found that he wasn’t bleeding too badly, and decided to leave it there for the moment.

Next, he realized that he was still lying on Cadet Lawrence. “Cadet?”, he asked, and his voice sounded strangely rough. “Sir?”, the Cadet replied. “Are you harmed?”, Spock managed to ask. “No, Sir. But you become quite heavy after a while.” Understanding the message, Spock lifted himself up as well as he could, and Lawrence crawled out from underneath him. With his last energy, Spock sat and leaned against the wall that still stood. He bled stronger for a few seconds. “How long?”, Spock asked. “I don’t know, less than an hour.”, the cadet replied. “Do you think they know that we are in here?”, Lawrence asked. “I cannot tell.”, Spock replied. He wished that Kirk would come and save him, even though it was rather unrealistically that he would. Spock tried to stay calm and relaxed, expecting himself to go into a healing trance any moment now.

When Kirk reached the campus, pandemonium had long broken out and was in the middle of being sorted. To his horror, he saw that several of the older buildings had collapsed onto themselves, most prominently the third-year-cadet’s housing. Rows and rows of white tents had been put up, and people with tricorders were walking around the ruins. As he came closer, he realized that the tents formed some kind of impromptu hospital. It was only a matter of seconds until he ran into Bones.

His friend looked at him like he was waking from a nightmare. “Jim!”, he exclaimed. “Bones!”, Kirk returned. “Are you alright?”, Kirk asked, seeing that McCoy was covered in blood splatches. “Physically, yes. But I’m still trying to integrate the ground shaking and the ceiling cracking into my worldview.” Kirk hugged his friend. “It’s going to be alright.”, he told him, not sure if it was the truth. Someone ran up to them. “Doctor McCoy? You’re needed in tent three.”, they said and McCoy acknowledged the message. “Gotta run, take care.”, he told Kirk, and swiftly followed suit. Kirk had wanted to ask about Spock’s whereabouts, but there was nobody who seemed to have time for him.

Spock had the impression that his mind was connected to an ever-shortening cord, and he felt that it wasn’t something bad. He however wondered if he had suffered a head injury, as he had never experienced something of this kind before. He tugged the cord, trying anything to get some attention, and suddenly knew who was on the other side. “Jim.”, he murmured, amazed and horrified at the same time. “What was that?”, Cadet Lawrence asked. “Nothing.”, Spock replied, a little louder than before.

Kirk was mind-pulled again, and ran like his life depended on it. He saw that his legs let him to one of the ruins, and he let it happen. He stopped himself in front of it, and stared for a few moments. This had been the little pavilion that had been used for the academy’s data collection and there wasn’t much left of it. None of the rescue team were currently around this corner of the campus, but Kirk simply knew that there were people in there.

Spock had the impression that he heard his name. “Somebody is calling for you, if I’m not mistaken.”, Lawrence said. Spock nodded slightly. “We are in here, help!”, Lawrence shouted as loud as he could. It sounded like something or somebody was moving over the rubbles around them. Something was moved away, and the moon shone into their crevasse. “Spock?”, Kirk asked through the newly made hole. “Jim!”, Spock returned happily. “Spock!”, Kirk exclaimed as well. “Can you get us out of here?”, Cadet Lawrence asked. “Give me your hands.”, Kirk ordered, and the Cadet stretched his towards the Admiral. With all the power he could muster, Kirk pulled the young man upwards, until he could reach the uppermost rim and climb out of the rubbles. He sat on the demolished roof, shaken up.

Next, Kirk reached for Spock. It took Spock everything he had to stand up on his feet. Realizing what state his friend was in, Kirk opted to take Spock by his arms instead of the hands. Spock couldn’t climb, as he was simply too weak, which meant a lot more work for Kirk. When he was almost outside, the metallic splinter touched the hole’s side, making Spock cry out. Kirk, feeling it too, almost let go of him, if Spock hadn’t clamped on so strongly. Finally, they were lying on the roof, Spock half on Kirk’s chest, now bleeding stronger than before and covered in grey dust.

Another aftershock went through the city, making the rubbles under them shift. “We got to get down on the ground!”, Lawrence shouted and began to climb, even though he still couldn’t use one of his feet. Kirk picked up Spock and carried him bridal-style. On his way down, he absentmindedly realized that the crevasse had now closed itself. His main attention was on getting Spock to a medical professional. He speed-walked towards the tents, with the Cadet hobbling after them.

Spock enjoyed being carried a lot more than he should have, and he just couldn’t help to lean his head against Kirk’s chest. He was almost disappointed when Kirk was advised to put him on one of the beds. “Blood type and allergies, please.”, the nurse prompted. Spock wanted to answer, but Kirk was faster. “T-Negative, and he’s allergic to almost all pain meds except Fenital.”, he said without hesitation. “Thanks. Somebody will be with you in a moment.”, the nurse replied and was gone.

As he lied there, in this tent with dozens of other patients, something occurred to Spock. “How did you find me?”, he wondered. “I don’t know, I just knew that you were in there. I cannot explain it.” Spock raised an eyebrow. “Most peculiar. I myself knew that you had arrived at our position even before I could hear you.” Spock shivered, and he wasn’t sure it was all due to the cold. Kirk considered giving him his coat, but just then, the doctor arrived.

She happened to be a Vulcan who didn’t even bother to greet them, and instead gave Spock a glance-over. “I will extract the foreign object, disinfect the area and have a dermal regenerator close the wound.”, she informed Spock, and walked away to get the needed material. “Will you stay with me?”, Spock asked Kirk. He nodded. “Of course, where else would I go?”, Kirk wondered and lay one hand on Spock’s shoulder. The Vulcan smiled slightly.

The treatment was as painful as imagined, and Spock found himself clinging to the thin bedsheet that had green spots on it by now. “This will be easier if you relax yourself.”, the doctor said, clearly judging a lack of restraint. “I will endure. Please continue.”, Spock replied weakly, but decidedly angrily. To sooth him, Kirk, who stood on the other side of the bed, rubbed his hand over Spock’s shoulder. Spock reached out, not to push him away, but to hold Kirk’s hand in his instead. The doctor raised an eyebrow, but continued to pull the small splinters out of the wound in silence.

When the dermal regenerator was finally placed on the wound, the doctor spoke again. “Is there anything else that is bothering you?”, she asked dutifully. Spock nodded. “I believe that I should have slipped into a healing trance, but as this hasn’t occurred, I wonder if I have acquired a head injury of some kind.”, he said. The doctor looked at them. “Temporary loss of certain higher body functions is a well-documented side effect of the formation of marriage bonds.”, she said, and looked at them like it was a stupid question. Both Kirk and Spock exchanged confused glances. “You must be mistaken, as Admiral Kirk is merely a friend.”, Spock said, realizing that he was still holding Kirk’s hand, which wasn’t exactly underlining his point. He let go immediately.

“May I check?”, the doctor asked, indicating Spock’s melding points. “You may.”, Spock replied, too confused to do otherwise. The doctor was an experienced mind-healer, and her own mind was barely more than a whisper in Spock’s. She needed only a few seconds to confirm her diagnosis. “I felt that too.”, Kirk said, as soon as she let go. Spock stared at Kirk in terror. The doctor was unshaken. “Stay as still as possible, so the dermal regenerator will deliver best performance.”

Kirk felt panic flow through him, but he wasn’t sure if it was only his own. “I am truly sorry. I should have used more constraint.”, Spock said, turning his gaze away from Kirk. When Kirk didn’t say anything, Spock spoke again. “We will of course have this… situation resolved as soon as possible.” Even though the thought hurt him more than it should have, Spock knew it was the right thing to do. Kirk sniffled, and Spock turned his gaze back on him. He had never seen Jim cry, and it hurt more than he expected. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a bit overwhelmed right now. And I understand if you don’t want to keep this bond.”, he said, trying to dry his tears.

“Make up already!”, somebody shouted from the bed next to them. Both ignored them explicitly. This was not the kind of place to have this discussion, but it was definitely the kind of time. “Do you wish to keep the bond?”, Spock wondered, after considering Kirk’s words. Kirk just looked at him for a few moments. “I love you, Spock. I have never been better than with you around, and when you were gone, it felt like dying. I do not mind if you not love me back, but I would really like to keep this.” Spock felt tears running down his face as well. He took Kirk’s hand again, who looked at him in confusion. “Have you ever wondered why I didn’t succeed in my _Kolinahr_?”, he asked, beside himself. “Constantly.”, Kirk replied. “Jim, you were the reason.”, he said like it explained everything. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”, Kirk admitted. “What I want to say is this: The feeling is returned.”, Spock tried again. Now, Kirk smiled brightly. “This simple feeling?”, he laughed. Spock nodded, smiling himself. “This simple feeling indeed.”


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two protagonist organize their new life together.

Kirk had sat down on Spock’s bed, still holding hands with him and gazes locked, when Bones came up to them. “T’Mira just told me of two idiots who didn’t realize that they were married in the Vulcan way.”, he laughed, and checked the dermal regenerator’s work. “Yeah, idiots.”, Kirk echoed. Bones looked up sharply. “Why am I not surprised?”, he wondered. Kirk and Spock exchanged glances. “You were aware?”, Spock wondered. “I mean, you were boyfriends for how long now? Five, six years? I thought that you had already done it, frankly.”, McCoy said. “What?”, Kirk exclaimed, and Spock raised two eyebrows. “Indeed?”, he wondered. “The Admiral and myself have not been in a romantic relationship. You were clearly under a false impression.”, Spock said formally. McCoy couldn’t help himself but to laugh full-heartedly. “You really are idiots!”

“But anyways, let me be the first to congratulate you.”, McCoy said, smiling brightly. “Thank you, I guess.”, Kirk replied, only now realizing the reality of the thing. Married to Spock! “You going to throw a party?”, McCoy wondered. “As we have only very recently realized our feelings for each other, we have yet to think about such things.”, Spock replied. “But when we get around to it, you are definitely invited.”, Kirk added.

McCoy turned the dermal regenerator off and took it from the wound, which had closed by now. “The reason I’m here is actually to tell you that we’re in need of space, so we’re sending people who are not too bad home.”, he said while looking at Spock. “I however still order bed rest for you, as soon as you’re at home.”, he added. “And you”, he turned to Kirk, “are going to make sure that he stays there. Do you understand?” Kirk nodded. “Good. Public transport is working again, by the way.”, McCoy said and put the regenerator on a table with wheels. He began to roll it away. “You’ll hear of me.”, he said before he hurried away.

McCoy had been right, and the subway net was indeed in operation again. They walked down the stairs to the underground station, very slowly. “You are still not too well, aren’t you?”, Kirk asked when they were on the ground. Spock shook his head. Kirk zipped open his coat, slipped out of it and handed it to Spock. “You will be cold.”, Spock tried to deflect the offer, but Kirk shook his head. “Not as cold as you are right now. Besides, I’m still wearing my fleece.” With the coat on, Spock looked a lot more comfortable, and they continued their way through the empty station.

To their luck, one of the automated trains held at the station just as they reached it, and they immediately hurried inside. There were only a few more people inside already. “Finally, some space.”, Kirk joked, and Spock pretended not to laugh inwardly. The train began to move towards their home.

“Is our apartment building still in working order?”, Spock wondered loudly. “My flat is alright, and I guess yours is too. And we should have electricity.”, Kirk answered, suddenly feeling very tired. He leaned slightly towards Spock. “Why wasn’t there a warning of some kind? Don’t we have an early warning system for earthquakes?”, he asked, still trying to work up everything that had happened to him in the last hours. It was not Spock who answered, but some guy who sat a few places away from them. “It was those damn Romulans.”, he snarled. “They just said it on the news. Apparently, they planted some kind of bomb in the San Andreas fault.”

Disturbed, they left the train at their home station. “Is the Federation going to do something against it?”, Kirk wondered loudly. “I would presume so.”, Spock replied. When they left the station, Kirk could see that the sun was rising already. They watched it for a few moments, and Kirk took Spock’s hand in his own. “May I kiss you?”, Spock asked reluctantly. Kirk nodded lightly. They reached out for each other and their mouths touched. With the bond between them, it was probably the best kiss Kirk had ever had, and he found that Vulcan tongues were apparently longer than those of Humans. He didn’t mind. Finally, they broke away. “I thought Vulcans don’t kiss with their lips.”, Kirk teased. “A wildly spread misconception.”, Spock simply replied, smiled smugly, and pulled Kirk after him.

Their building was working on the normal source of electricity again, and the elevator was also in working order. Kirk pressed the button that would bring them to Spock’s place. Spock leaned against the elevator’s wall, visibly exhausted. “I think you do what Bones says, for once.”, Kirk said. “Indeed.”, Spock agreed.

When they finally reached the apartment, they found that it was in disarray. The quake had toppled the table over, and the plates and cutlery, still lying there from their earlier meal, had splattered all over the carpet. Some books had fallen from the shelves as well, and the small bowl Spock used to stick his incense in had turned over, spilling its sand everywhere. Spock looked around, slightly disturbed by the sight. “Let’s take care of all that later, okay?”, Kirk said, trying to get Spock to lie down as fast as possible. Spock nodded.

Spock took of Kirk’s coat and gave it back to him. Only now, Kirk realized that the Vulcan was still covered in dust. “But I guess you’ll need to take a shower first.”, he remarked. “The same could be said about you, Jim.”, Spock replied, looking him down. They were silent for a few moments. “Will you stay here with me?”, Spock asked, doing something that could almost be described as puppy eyes. Kirk smiled. Like he could say no to that. “Of course. But I’ll need to go to my place to shower and change first.”, he said. Spock nodded in understanding. “It’ll just be a few minutes.”, he added and swiftly left, not wanting to waste time.

Years of living on a Starship meant that Kirk had perfected the art of showering fast and efficiently. He didn’t even feel how nice and warm the water was, as he was determined to return to Spock as fast as possible. He changed into his pajama and slippers, and after a short moment of deliberation, he took his mattress, blanket and pillow from the bed frame. For the way back, he took the elevator, as the mattress was a bit big to carry over the stairs. As predicted, he stood in front of Spock’s door again just a few minutes after he had left. He ringed and was let inside almost immediately.

Spock sat on his couch in the middle of the chaos, clean and clad in his meditation robe, sipping tea. He raised an eyebrow as he saw Kirk enter with his mattress. “Most certainly a wise decision.”, he commented and followed Kirk to the bedroom, one drinking bowl full of tea in every hand. Kirk had never been to Spock’s bedroom, and he found with some amusement that he had covered the walls with a similar red material to the one he had had on the _Enterprise_. Only the weapons were missing. And of course, Spock had decided on a black bed, even the covers matched it. Kirk threw his mattress on the floor next to the bed and sat down on it. Spock sat on his own bed and offered Kirk the other bowl. He drank and enjoyed it. “Is this some kind of Vulcan tea?”, he wondered after he had finished. “This is green tea.”, Spock said, and Kirk laughed. “That’s definitely a _no_ then.”

After that, they lied down. It was only a few moments until Spock spoke up again. “Jim, would you like to come up here?”, he asked. Kirk felt his heart beat a bit faster. He had fantasized about this for ages. “If you don’t mind?”, he replied. Through the darkness, he could see Spock lift his blanket. Kirk smiled and slipped in beside him. Like they had done it a million times before, Spock turned on his uninjured side and lay his head on Kirk’s chest, and Kirk slung one arm around him. It was pure bliss. “What a night.”, Kirk murmured. Spock purred in agreement.

They continued like that, and Kirk felt himself becoming hard. Like he read his mind, and he probably was, Spock spoke again. “Jim.”, he said. “Hmm?”, Kirk asked, when Spock didn’t continue. “When I am completely healed, would you like to… engage in sexual acts with me?” Kirk snickered, slightly amused by the Vulcan’s choice of words. “I do. But I have to warn you, you can tell that it’s not original parts down there, but rather made in a lab and grafted. But it’s fully functional, in case you’re wondering.”, he said. Spock stayed silent, seemingly thinking about what Kirk had just said. “Do you mind?”, Kirk asked, slightly afraid that Spock could answer _yes_. “Jim, I knew.”, Spock finally replied. This was not what Kirk had expected.

“You do?”, Kirk wondered. He was quite sure that he had never told Spock that he was a trans-man, as he barely thought of it himself. It simply was irrelevant most of the time. Spock hesitated. “The documents of Tarsus list you as female. I asked Doctor McCoy, and he confirmed my deduction.” Kirk was silent for a moment. “So, you don’t mind.”, he stated. Spock took his hand. “How could I possibly?”, he asked, warmth filling his voice. Kirk lifted his head so it would touch Spock’s. “On the topic of deductions, I always believed that you were asexual.”, he said, half-asking. “Until today, I believed so as well.”, Spock replied, laughing silently.

Soon after, they both fell asleep. It was a dreamless sleep for Kirk, and he only woke once, because the temperature Spock maintained in his rooms, combined with the temperature that had built up under their blanket, made him break out in sweat. Spock had moved away from his chest sometime in the meantime, so Kirk could sit up and take off his shirt without waking him. From there, he was asleep again in minutes.

An indefinite time later, Spock moved, and sat up. “What are you doing?”, Kirk murmured, not truly awake yet. “I am going to meditate. Please feel free to stay here.”, he said lowly. Kirk grunted and nodded, and drifted away again. It was only a few minutes later, when he heard voices, that he became truly awake. Wondering what was going on, he slipped out of bed and wandered into the living room.

Spock sat on his couch and in front of his viewscreen, apparently in the middle of a video-call. It took him only a moment more until he realized that it was Spock’s parents on the other side. “I believe congratulations are in order.”, he heard Sarek say. Spock slowly turned to Kirk, raised a confused eyebrow, and turned back to the viewscreen. “May I thank you.”, he said slowly. “You should have told us.”, Amanda complained.

In the meantime, Kirk realized how it must look, him, half-naked, clearly walking out of Spock’s bedroom. Of course, Sarek and Amanda immediately came to the correct conclusions. “There isn’t much to tell, honestly.”, Kirk said, sitting next to Spock, and turning slightly red. Spock reached out and took his hand. “We have come to realize our romantic involvement only very recently.”, he explained. “I see.”, Sarek said. “We won’t bother you any longer, then.”, Amanda added and smiled giddily. Sarek looked amused and cut the connection.

“What was that about?”, Kirk wondered after the screen went black. “My parents have heard of the earthquake and wished to inquire about my well-being. I have told them that I was injured, but recovering well.” Kirk nodded in understanding. “Would you like to eat breakfast, Jim?”, Spock asked, changing the subject entirely. “Wouldn’t it rather be time for lunch?”, Kirk asked, looking out the window. “It might be, but I would prefer oatmeal at this time.”, Spock said. Kirk had to laugh, because he had never experienced Spock so relaxed with himself.

While Spock was busy with cooking, Kirk turned his attention to the mess in the living room. He picked up the plates and glasses that were scattered around the floor and put them in the cleaner, and finally rightened the table. When he had just finished, Spock came over with the bowls, and they ate in silence. “Spock, may I ask you something?”, Kirk finally voiced his thoughts. “Yes?”, Spock wondered. “Am I just imagining things, or are you actually more relaxed than you used to?”, Kirk asked. Spock looked at his spoon for exactly two seconds. “I have come to the realization that what I believed were Vulcan virtues are rather Vulcan stereotypes instead, and that I do not wish to represent them.”, he finally answered. “And now, you want to be a non-stereotypically Vulcan?”, Kirk wondered. Spock shook his head. “No. I want to be Spock.”, he said. “I would be happy to meet this guy.”, Kirk said and smiled brightly. Spock smiled too, and turned back to his oatmeal.

After ‘breakfast’, they turned to clean the rest of the chaos. Kirk was putting the last book back on the shelf, when Spock’s PADD sounded. Spock walked over to its place on the counter, and read the message he had just received. “Doctor McCoy says that he is going to visit today at fifteen hundred. He also expresses the wish that we, and I cite, ‘better be dressed’.”, he told Jim, who was amused by Bones’ assumptions. Kirk checked the chronometer. “That’s in two hours.”, he realized. “Indeed.”, Spock agreed, deciding not to compute the amount of time to the second decimal. “I think I will go and get dressed right now.”, Kirk decided, but not moving from where he stood. Spock smiled and moved over to him, kissing him softly. “Isn’t it illogical that you would have to climb two levels every time you need clothes or personal hygiene?”, he asked softly. “Well…”, Kirk begin to reply, only halfway realizing what Spock was suggesting. “You have expressed your preference towards these accommodations.”, Spock reminded him, when he was silent for too long.

“I just don’t want to overwhelm any of us.”, Kirk said, suddenly very overwhelmed. “We have already shared a bathroom on the _Enterprise_ , it should not be difficult to share the other rooms as well, I would think.”, Spock continued his arguments, laying his arms around Jim. “You are right, it is logical.”, Jim finally said. “And you are sure that you are alright with that?”, he wanted to confirm. “I am, Jim.”, Spock replied, suddenly looking very serious. With the bond between them, Kirk could see that he was very much telling the truth. “If it is like that, then I shall go and get my clothes and stuff.”, Kirk decided. “I could help you?”, Spock offered, but Kirk shook his head. “You go and rest some more, otherwise Bones is going to rip off my head.”, he said. Spock smiled again. “Most logical.”, he said.

Kirk sprinted up the stairs to his old apartment. Spock wanted to live with him, and that was somehow even more significant than their already existing bond. He could feel Spock’s amusement at the excitement he had been unconsciously projecting, and blushed slightly. He really had underestimated Spock’s willingness to be with him, it seemed. And maybe, the Vulcan had underestimated Jim’s readiness as well. Kirk was lucky to be on vacation, otherwise he would not have enough time to come to grounds with all the new things he kept learning.

Once inside his apartment, Kirk immediately went to change into clothing that didn’t look like he wore them to sleep, and took his travel bag from the closet. He threw all his clothes inside, not caring if they crumbled. He proceeded to empty the contents of the bathroom’s cupboard and closet into the bag. Next, he took a carton box that was still stored under the kitchen sink for reason’s Kirk couldn’t remember. He carried it to his books, which were still laying on the floor. Carefully this time, he put the books in the box, making sure that the pages didn’t fold up. At last, He took his personal PADD and his work computer, and put them in the box as well. Remembering that he should probably check on his fridge, he opened it, only to find that it almost empty, except for the iced tea he had made two days before, due to his lemons turning brown.

After drying the two bottles, he added them to the box, slid the bag over his shoulder and left his apartment. There were some of his things left inside, but he figured that he could get them at a later time. When he touched the touchpad of his new apartment’s door out of reflex, he found that Spock had already programmed his fingerprint into the opening mechanism. He sure was efficient.

Once inside, the flat appeared empty. Thinking that Spock was maybe taking a nap like he had told him to, Kirk entered the bedroom like he was on a stealth mission. It was empty as well, but the closet was open, and all of Spock’s clothing, neatly assorted by function and on hangers, had been moved to one side, obviously inviting him to put his in the newly made space. The bathroom door was opened and the room empty, meaning that only the small room at the end of the hallway could be Spock’s momentary location. Kirk had never found a particular use in it, and he had never bothered to find one. Now, he was really curious what Spock used it for.

He knocked on the door and opened it slowly. A wave of incense came is direction, and Kirk immediately knew what this was. Opening the door further, he could see that it was indeed a meditation room, with mats covering the floor. Spock, who had been sitting in the middle of it, looking up as he entered. “Sorry to disturb you.”, Kirk immediately said, but Spock shook his head and stood. “No. I was waiting for you.”, he said, and they returned to the living room together. “You brought your books.”, Spock remarked. Kirk nodded. “And this is?”, Spock asked and lifted the bottles. “Iced tea.”, Kirk replied, faintly smiling at Spock’s curiosity. “If you do not mind, I will see to the books.”, Spock decided, and Kirk opened his mouth to protest, but Spock was faster. “Jim, please, this is hardly a strain. It would be wrong to let you do all the work.”, he replied, and picked up the box from the table. Kirk decided not to argue and took his bag to the bathroom instead.

When he had already hung a few of his clothing items, Spock joined him. Wordlessly, he took the next item, one of Kirk’s famed plaid shirts, and looked at it. “I think I have never seen you in this particular piece.”, he said, studying the yellow plaid. Kirk laughed. “I could say the same about most of your wardrobe as well, Spock.”, he replied. Spock raised an amused eyebrow. “It is a shame, as some of it would suit you quite well, I believe.”, he stated. “Me?”, Kirk asked. Spock nodded. He reached for a green-brownish tunic that would reach the knees. “This one, for example. Try it, if you want.”, he offered Kirk. He wanted indeed. “And you have my blanket permission to wear any of my things.”, Kirk said, while getting into the tunic. “Except my uniforms, maybe. Starfleet wouldn’t like that.”, he added as an afterthought. “May I thank you. The same goes for you.”, Spock replied happily, and immediately began to try on the plaid shirt he was still holding in his hands.

“You look like a cowboy.”, Kirk said, grinning at the mirror in front of them. He had just taken his hat from the bag and put it on Spock’s head. “Howdy?”, Spock tried, and Kirk grinned even more. “And may I say, you look like a _Shi’Kahrian_ gentleman.”, Spock added. He had given Kirk a silk coat to wear over the tunic. “They don’t really have a catchphrase, I presume?”, Kirk asked. “No, not to my knowledge.”, Spock replied, looking softly at his bondmate.

The doorbell sounded. “That must be Bones.”, Kirk assumed and slipped out of the coat. Spock took the hat from his head and put it in the closet. When they opened the door, they found that not only McCoy was standing in front of it. “Surprise.”, Chekov, Scotty, Uhura and McCoy shouted at once. Surprise indeed. “Come in.”, Kirk said, too stunned to ask the questions in his head. “While you all are quite welcome, this is quite unusual.”, Spock half-asked. “It was actually Uhura’s idea.”, McCoy responded, like that was an answer. “This is a surprise wedding party.”, Uhura explained. “It’s bad luck to wait too long.”, Chekov added, and Scotty nodded in agreement. “And don’t pretend like would have come around to plan anything at all.”, McCoy said sternly. He was right, as always. “Anyways, my congratulation.”, Uhura said and hugged Kirk, and opted to touch Spock by the shoulder. One after the other congratulated them in this or a similar fashion, and Kirk wondered how people managed weddings with more than a hundred people.

“We dinna manage to organize a cake.”, Scotty said after the congratulations were over. “Instead, I made cookies.”, Chekov announced, and opened the two tin boxes he had brought with him. “These are with chocolate, in these aren’t.”, he said, lifting the appropriate boxes as he spoke. “You guys are great.”, Kirk said, still overwhelmed. Were there tears in his eyes? “On Vulcan, it is custom to offer tea to the guests of a wedding. Would you be amendable?”, Spock, who was obviously a little less shaken, asked. Most nodded, and Spock went to make some hot water. “We also have iced tea, if somebody is more interested in that.”, Kirk added, slowly getting a hold of the situation again.

They were all sitting on the various seating accommodations the apartment offered. “Christine is very busy with things you can guess the nature of, but she sends you her congratulations as well.”, McCoy said after sipping some of the iced tea. “Ah, I almost forgot, Sulu is on a mission, but he recorded a video for you.”, Chekov said, and fished for his PADD.

Some time later, McCoy had pulled a bottle of Scotch from somewhere, and everyone was ever so slightly tipsy. Even Spock, Kirk remarked, who had downed at least two chocolate cookies at this point. Without any pre-warning, Uhura sat next to Kirk on the couch, who was sitting next to Spock himself. “I have to ask you a twenty-credit question.”, she opened. “I bet Scotty that you had something going on even back on the _Enterprise_ , but he disagrees.” Kirk laughed. “And people say that Starfleet doesn’t have a gambling problem.”, he said. “Well?”, Uhura reiterated. “No.”, Spock answered truthfully. Uhura made a face, but let it be.

“Crazy, huh. I mean the earthquake.”, Kirk said. “And most of the consequences would have been avoidable.”, Uhura said, visibly upset. Spock raised a questioning eyebrow. “This morning, I was called to have a look at the early warning system. Well, what can I say?”, Scotty told them. He took a breath. “Somebody must have let the training sequence running for the last two months.”, he closed. This was horrifying for everybody who was dependent on machines for a living, which was exactly everybody in the room. “So, no Romulans?”, Kirk asked. “No, although that would probably be more preferable.”, Scotty replied.

They decided to no longer talk about the incident, and instead, Uhura brought them a present. It was a blank cardboard box. “Scotty did probably more than half of the work.”, she explained. Spock lifted the lid. Inside, there was a board with octagonal fields in black and white, as well as game pieces in yellow and green. The pieces were small spaceships, mounted to a base. “This is an octagonal chess set.”, Spock remarked, very intrigued. Uhura and Scotty nodded happily. “And the queen is a Constitution class.”, Kirk realized. “Aye.”, Scotty agreed. “And I was thinking of one very special beauty while modeling.”

Before their guests left for the night, it was time for pictures. Kirk never knew that Scotty was a hobby photographer, and the pictures he took were really good. Or maybe Kirk thought so because they were of Spock and him, holding hands, with their friends around them. Anyways, Kirk was already planning on framing at least one of the pictures.

Kirk used one hand to hold Spock’s and the other to wave their guests good-bye. Finally, they were gone, and Spock closed the door. They turned to each other, and Kirk almost immediately lost himself in Spock’s eyes. “Jim, are you crying?”, Spock asked, incredulously. Only now, Kirk realized that there were tears rolling down his cheeks. Unable to speak, he sent a wave of the love and happiness he felt over the bond. “I see.”, Spock replied. They kissed, both the Human and the Vulcan way, until they were almost out of air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please just ignore that there is also supposed to be a tsunami (it's the future, jadda jadda) and also that San Francisco sees snow approximately all fourty years.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the end of the first half, and I want to use this opportunity to tell you that fanfiction is certainly not the right place to inform yourself about procedures during an emergency, and I would like to refer you to your government's homepage for that.
> 
> On a lighter note, post-TMP Spock is fucking lit, and you cannot tell me otherwise.


End file.
